The Wolf Among Us: A Novelization
by damnyourlove-damnyourlies
Summary: When a Fable is murdered and left mysterious at the front door of The Woodlands, it's up to Sheriff Bigby Wolf and Assistant to the Deputy Mayor, Snow White, to solve to the mystery and bring justice for Fabletown. A novelization of my most recent play through of The Wolf Among Us.
1. Mr Toad

**Ugh. Okay. So I looooove Fables and am obsessed with TWAU so I decided that on my most recent playthrough of TWAU I would "novelize" the game and make it a story. So it follows the game and the choices I made in it, but I've alos tried to delve more into Bigby's character with knowledge of the Fables universe as well. So hopefully you might enjoy.**

**PS. Anyone who has read the comics or played the game knows that their is heavy coarse language, violence and sexual themes so consider yourself warned!**

**PPS. Obviously spoilers for the game and probably Fables too.**

* * *

The night air was thick and damp. The sweltering summer heat had blistered into dank humidity and the cab's dusty air-conditioner gave little relief to the Sheriff as the vehicle chugged late into the night. Not that he minded the heat much anyway.

Sheriff Bigby Wolf rubbed his thumb and forefinger across the bridge of his broad nose and under tired eyes. Was his job ever done? It didn't seem to matter how hard he tried, there was always someone, somewhere causing trouble and when shit hit the fan, Bigby Wolf was most Fable's first port of call. Tonight it was Mister Toad, a loathsome little creature with a foul mouth and attitude to match. It didn't matter how many times Bigby gently reminded him that it was in his best interests to get himself glamoured lest he be sent to The Farm, the little cretin was always in his true, toad form. Bigby didn't enjoy constantly breathing down his neck, but it was for his own safety, and for the safety and protection of the entire Fable community.

Bigby stared out the window as the cab rode through the South Bronx. The streets were bathed in a neon glow and the soundtrack of the city was a constant symphony of sirens and an occasional gunshot. The cab rolled up to Toad's building and Bigby took in the sight as he got out of the car, double checking the address. Toad's building was a dilapidated old thing, splattered with crude graffiti and boarded up in places, with the odd makeshift clothes line hanging between two window. Bigby lit a cigarette. It was all he could do to try and douse the rancid cacophony of odors of the city that burned in his overly sensitive nostrils.

Bigby let himself into the building and immediately laid eyes on Mr Toad. He seemed distracted though and didn't acknowledge his presence as he stared curiously up the flight of stairs on the left side of the foyer. The floor of the foyer was littered with glass bottles and other bits of discarded trash. Paint and wallpaper was peeling off the disturbingly filthy walls and windows that had seemed all right from the outside were boarded up from the inside. And the whole building smelt like a bathroom.

"Mister Toad." Bigby said, announcing himself.

The Fable dropped his head and grunted under his breath, "Shit."

Toad spun around and Bigby took in his appearance, a delightful ensemble of a dirty white undershirt, visible beneath his shabby green cardigan and blue sweatpants. Most notable about his get up was perhaps the fact that he was, in fact a three-foot-tall toad.

"Bigby!" he greeted in his thick accent, clearly forcing enthusiasm, "Listen mate, I know I don't look human. It's a problem, I get it, I just stepped out of the apartment for just a second to see what kind of damage this drunk shit it doing."

Toad looked up at him with pathetic, pleading eyes, "Just cut me a break, yeah? I'll get me glamour first thing in the morning. Cross my heart."

Bigby glared at him, "I'm looking at a three foot toad. In a sweater. That's a problem."

Toad looked bashfully down at his attire.

"If you can't afford to look human," Bigby said matter-of-factly, "You're going to the Farm. It's as simple as that."

"You can't send me up to live with those animals!" Toad threw his little arms up.

Bigby shot him a look.

"You know what I mean!" Toad whined, dropping his arms and frowning.

Bigby was getting fed up. He had lost count long ago of the number of times he had had this conversation with this particular Fable.

"Go. See. A. Witch." He commanded, "Get a Glamour."

But the excuses kept flowing from Toad's mount like rain from a gutter.

"Bigby, they're bleeding me dry mate." He pleaded, "The quality of the spell goes down but the rates keep climbing up! Do you have any idea how much it costs to have an entire family in Glamour!?"

Toad was visibly upset now, and clearly distracted by the noises that had been coming from whoever was drunk upstairs.

"I don't make the rules. Sorry." Bigby stated cooly. Toad shook his head before having one last shot at flashing a set of pathetic puppy dog eyes at the Sherriff.

Bigby sighed, "I can't give you a free pass on this Toad. My hands are tied."

Toad's head dropped in disappointment, "Right, right."

"There's too much at stake." Bigby continued, trying to reason with the sad little creature. He did feel sorry for him. It was obvious from the state of his tenement building that he was doing it tough, and Bigby was well aware that Glamours weren't cheap, but he also knew the absolute necessity of having one, "Whatever it costs, it's worth it. You don't want me catching you out of glamour again."

His tone shifted from reasoning to threatening and Toad noticed. He blinked up at him with his big, wide eyes and shook his head in understanding.

All of a sudden, the sound of glass smashing rang out from upstairs, followed by the sound of something heavy falling into the street outside. Toad was now looking past Bigby, out the front door and the Sheriff noticed his expression change.

He threw his hands to his head, "Fuckin' hell!"

Bigby looked over his shoulder to see an old television set smashed on the sidewalk among a pile of shattered glass.

"See?" Toad cried, putting his hands on his hips, "This is what I called you about Sheriff! You just gonna stand there? Do something Bigby! Before he completely tears up the place!"

The Sheriff put out his cigarette and threw the butt to the ground where it joined the pile of accumulating garbage, "I should probably go handle this."

Bigby crossed past Mr Toad and took to the stairs.

"Yes please. Thank you." Toad sighed, a hint of triumph in his voice, he waved him happily up the stairs before his smile turned to a look of disdain, muttering under his breath, "Furry pricked gobshite… tell me how to spend my money."

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**If you like, I'll continue. If you don't I'll go back to hiding in my room. :)**

**x**


	2. Old Foes

"Daaaaad! The lights are shaking again!" came a small high pitched voice from another room.

"What'd I say?" Bigby heard Mr Toad scold, "You want the Big Bad Wolf to take you away?"

The little voice was suddenly stricken with fear and wavered, "No."

"Then get the fuck back inside!"

Bigby shook his head. What a way to speak to a kid. Even the "Big Bad Wolf" knew that was out of line. Bigby might have had a rough exterior but that comment about him, he took to heart. Is this what it was going to be like? Was another generation of Fables being raised to fear him? He'd worked so hard to redeem himself and prove to his contemporaries that he was no longer a monster to be feared. He knew that there were the odd Fable here and there that still had difficulty trusting him but were they really going to teach their children that he was a villain? He shook the thought away and tried to focus on the task at hand.

The second floor landing was in as bad shape as the lobby. The muffled sound of music was coming from one of the rooms. He heard the smashing of glass before a familiar, gruff voice hollered out.

"You're gonna know who I fuckin' am, you hear me? Hey! Look at me!"

"Just stop okay! You're drunk!"

That voice he didn't recognize. It was a woman. "Let go!"

"Take a look!" the gruff voice drunkenly commanded, "Take a good look! Know who I am now? Hey! Look at me!"

"Get off of me!" the woman demanded, angrily but still in control.

The gruff voice roared and Bigby had had enough. He stormed over to the door and with one swift motion, kicked it right in.

As he barged in, he saw exactly who he expected from the sound of the voice. He should have recognized him. They'd known each other long enough. The Woodsman.

The bald headed buffoon hollered as he slapped the brunette woman across the face for which appeared to not be the first time. She was thin, but steely eyed. She had short dark hair and her pale face was adorned with a smattering of bruises.

"You know who I am now…" the Woodsman bellowed as he wound up to take another hit.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, hey, HEY!" Bigby ran at him before he could strike her again and restrained him against a wall.

"You got something on your face." Said the woman defiantly.

Woody glared over Bigby's shoulder at her, "Fuck are you talkin' about you stupid c-"

The woman spat a mouthful of blood in his face and it only fired him up even more as he tried to free himself from the Sheriff's grasp.

"I'll fuckin' kill you!"

Bigby slammed himagainst the wall and his fury shifted from the woman to the Sheriff, "You fucker!"

"Alright everyone," Bigby started, in a feeble attempt to diffuse the situation, "just ca-"

Woody grunted and slammed his forehead into Bigby's. Bigby stumbled backwards before regaining his composure.

Woody cracked his neck and stared him down, "What are you gonna fuckin' do, huh? Get the fuck outta the way before you get the axe again."

"You're drunk, alright?" Bigby rationalized, "Think this through. If you keep on like this I won't have any choice but to put you down."

"Put _me_ down?" Woody growled, advancing on him, "You've got a shit fuckin' memory, wolf. That's not how it went last time."

"This isn't last time." Bigby growled back baring his teeth.

Woody took the first swing, but Bigby grabbed his arm and turned him around, pinning his arm sharply behind his back, "Gonna calm down?"

Woody's kept fighting back against his grip. Bigby guessed that meant no.

Bigby threw the enormous man across the room and head first into an old porcelain sink on the opposite wall. Woody crashed into it hard but within a second he was up and ready for another hit. He grabbed a knife that was resting on the sink and turned around to face his old foe. He swung it at Bigby who expertly dodged it's blade. He swung it again and again like a wild man until Bigby finally took the opportunity to grab him by his waist and fling him backwards over his head like he were a sack of potatoes. He smashed into the sink. Hard. This time shattering the porcelain.

"You're a fuckin' glutton for punishment, Woody." Bigby teased, striding over and grabbing two fistfuls of the Woodsman's flannelette shirt and hoisting him onto his feet.

"Fuck you." Woody spat back.

Bigby launched him across the room again. This time into a bookshelf that stood beside the woman.

"Back off, asshole!" she sniped as he shot her a look.

Woody picked up a standing lamp and swung it at Bigby, who once again, ducked it's blow before crushing the Woodsman's knee under his foot. Woody hollered. Bigby slammed his head back against the wall before picking him up again and throwing him over a couch which rolled under his weight.

"Had enough?"

Suddenly, the couch came flying towards him and knocked him to the ground. The Woodsman stood up behind it and wiped blood off his chin.

"At least make this a fuckin' challenge!" He half laughed.

Woody grabbed Bigby by the collar of his never-been-ironed shirt and held him like a doll a few feet off the ground. Bigby struggled against him before managing to push Woody's head back with one hand and punch him in the throat with the other. Woody dropped him and gagged as he stumbled backwards, clutching his neck. Bigby restrained him one last time before launching him over a metal bedframe. Woody came crashing down face first onto the hard springs. He rolled over just in time for Bigby to leap on top of him, punching him again and again. Woody grabbed him by his shirt and pushed him off, smashing his skull into a wall-mounted lamp in the process. Bigby's eyes rolled as he flopped down onto the bedframe and tried to regain his bearings. Woody punched him one more time and then turned, marching with purpose over to the weapon that Bigby hated more than any other.

A long carved wooden handle, with a patterned wedge of sharp, cold metal on one end. His axe. Bigby leapt up from the bedframe as Woody wielded it. He swung it downwards in a motion meant to slice the Sheriff in two. Bigby dodged the blade and managed to get a hold of it before Woody could raise it again. The two fought for it, tugging it back and forth before Bigby swiftly jabbed Woody in the stomach with it. The Woodsman fell back to the ground and as he tried to regain his footing, Bigby rammed the blunt end of the handle into his chin. Woody now lay face-first on the floor, incapacitated, at least for now. Bigby took a moment to catch his breath as he rested his hands on his knees and panted. He threw the axe aside and turned to the woman who had been forgotten amidst the whole fight.

"You should probably get out of here."


	3. The Wolf's Wrath

The woman folded her arms defiantly and stared him down, "Look. I'm not leaving until I get what's mine."

"You're not getting shit, bitch!" The Woodsman yelled from his place on the floor, his words garbled by the mouthful of blood and broken teeth. "I'll fuckin' put you in the ground. You hear me?"

Bigby's collective anger honed in on the Woodsman once again.

"Say that word one more time." He threatened, eyes dark as he stalked up to his prey.

"What? Bitch?" Woody questioned with mock innocence.

A split second of deafening silence passed before Bigby kicked him square in the jaw. His head flung back and he bellowed in pain.

"What did I say?" Bigby asked sternly.

"You fucker." Woody slurred, his jaw good and broken, "Oh, fuckin' shit. You broke my jaw you bastard!"

"And still you talk." Bigby threw over his shoulder as he turned back to the woman who was now holding a compact mirror and was trying, without success to disguise her bruises with some powder.

"Shit." She said as she studied her black eye in the mirror.

"What the hell is going on?" Bigby asked, exhausted at what his night had become, "What happened?"

"A little misunderstanding that turned into a real shit show." She said, not taking her eyes from her reflection in the mirror, "Don't worry. You saw all the best bits."

"There's more where that came from girlie." Woody slurred from a distance.

"Knock it off!" Bigby shouted over his shoulder.

"Look, this is just the start of a shitty night for me." The woman said flatly, snapping her compact shut, "I just need the money he owes me, then I can go."

"Are you alright?" Bigby asked.

"I'm hunky dory. Thanks for asking." She said coldly, looking away.

"What's your name?" Bigby asked her.

"Whatever you'd like it to be, handsome." She joked with a half-hearted smirk.

"Don't make this more difficult than it has to be." Bigby replied, ignoring her attempt at humor.

"Sorry Sheriff." She practically hissed as she squinted at him, "Wouldn't want to add any _difficulty_ to your night."

"Why was he hitting you?" Bigby asked, well and truly in Sheriff mode now.

She sighed and looked away, "He asked me if I recognized him, knew who he was. I said I didn't. Then he started beating on me, then you showed up and started beating on him."

She turned to Woody sarcastically, "That about cover it, hon?"

"I'm the Woodsman, you whore." Woody growled from the floor, his hand full of blood he had spat up. "I saved Little Red Riding Hood from this… monster. I cut this fucker open, stuffed his belly full of stones!"

Woody's strength was returning . He clicked his jaw back into place and pushed himself up off the ground, "And threw him in the fucking river! That's who the fuck I am, you stupid bitch!"

Bigby had had enough. Every time that vile word rung in his ears, a new flame of fury sparked within him.

"Uh, would you excuse me for a moment?" he asked the woman before turning his rage towards Woody.

"By all means." She replied.

Bigby exploded towards Woody like a runner at the starting blocks, and before either of them knew it, the combined strength of the two Fables had them both crashing straight through the wall of the apartment and down into the street. Bigby crash landed flat on his back on the roof of Mr Toads car and the world went black.

A few moments later Bigby came to. He looked up at the window and the damaged he had caused. He sat up for a moment and saw Woody lying face down into the street surrounded by shards of broken glass.

"Ah, shit." He groaned as he flopped back down. The lolled his head to one side and the face he saw was worse than that of the Woodsman, "Hey Toad."

Mr Toad was standing, dumbfounded, hands on his head, staring at his destroyed car, crushed under the weight of the Sheriff.

"My.. car…" he stuttered.

"Yeah." Bigby sighed, stretching his back out, "Gimme a second."

"Oh no," Toad started sarcastically, "By all means. Take your time. Make yourself comfortable."

Bigby looked over at Toad with an attempt at a smile, "So… how good is your insurance?"

Toad sighed, "I can't be mad at you… I called you and you come to help. I can't be mad… but even when you help, things end up more fucked than they started."

Bigby knew he was right. Only Bigby could come with the intention of diffusing a drunken feud and end up flying through a solid wall with the perpetrator. And destroying the Landlords car in the process.

Toad turned.

"Well. At least you're not fuckin' dead." He sniped at the figure before him. Bigby sat up. Woody was up and ready to go for round two. He grabbed Bigby's leg and dragged him off the car. He lifted him up by the throat and threw him into a nearby billboard on the side of the road. Woody started to throttle him. Bigby fought back pressing his fingered into his face.

"Quit fuckin' around!" Woody taunted, "I know you're fuckin' in there! Come on out you fuckin' dog! I'll put you out of your misery!"

Bigby's strength began to wane, his eyes wide. All the power that he could muster, he was using to avoid the inevitable. This taunting, this prodding, it was killing him. Everything within him wanted to lose control, ignore every law and rule of Fabletown and give in. He could barely contain it as Woody squeezed the breath out of him.

Woody kept taunting him, "You fuckin' mongrel! You ignorant fuck!"

His feet were well off the ground now and he could feel his vision blurring.

"Come on out Wolf!" Woody screamed in his ear.

With that word his eyes flashed yellow. He lost control and blinked threateningly at the Woodsman ready to attack.

"Ugh." Woody grunted and his eyes rolled back in his head. He let go of Bigby and collapsed to reveal the woman, standing behind him, axe in hand, the blade wedged in the back of Woody's skull.

Bigby shook his head, trying with all his might to shake the wolf instinct away, put it back down deep inside.

The woman blinked up at him, as if silently asking if he was okay. He looked back in silent response. She turned to the Woodsman, who was trying to crawl away, axe still firmly lodged in his skull, and pushed him down, rifling through his pockets.

"What are you doing?" Bigby asked, now well and truly fed up."

"I'm just getting what he owes me." She shrugged. She went back to rooting through Woody's pockets.

"You alright back there?" she asked, " I mean your eyes? And the teeth? You're not really supposed to do that are you?"

"Not if I can avoid it." He replied, putting his hands on his hips.

The woman grabbed a handful of coins. She stared at them before throwing them angrily, back at Woody, "Great!" She flew to her feet and started kicking him in the ribs.

"The guy's got an axe in his brain," Bigby pointed out, "He's not feeling that."

"It's more for me," she said, glaring at the man in the street, "He'll be fine."

"I'll…. Kill you… you fuckin'… bitch." Woody still flailed around in the gutter, words a garbled mess.

"Let me help you with that." The woman put her foot on the axe poking out of Woody's head and crushed it through his skull. Bigby didn't stop her.

"Guy's having a bad day." He mused.

"That makes two of us." The woman murmured. "I guess it's a good thing Fables are hard to kill."

"Suppose it is."Bigby replied, staring at the Woodsman, surprised, yet intrigued by the woman's cold, violent and angry demeanor. Bigby watched as she went to her bag. He walked over to Woody and pulled the axe out of his head, still watching the intriguing woman. He watched as she tried, and failed to light up a cigarette.

"Shit. Just… come on…" she muttered.

"Here." He said pulling his lighter from his pocket and lighting her cigarette.

"Thanks," she said taking a drag. Something was different about her now. She didn't look quite as… cold. Bigby sensed back in the apartment that she was putting up a facade in front of the Woodsman, but now he could sense her vulnerability.

"Who do you work for, really?" he asked.

She looked away sadly, closing her eyes, "These lips are sealed. Sorry."


End file.
